School Masters Desk. Turned legs, slantied hinged desk top, panel in center of interior, three drawers, three open pigeon holes, pigeon holes are topped by two small drawers on either side.
James Buchanan was the second owner of this desk; he gifted the desk to a domestic servant (name unknown) who was the third of eight owners not counting the museum.
Hepplewhite Pembrook Oval Table. Two drop leaves, when opened, are supported by pivoted shaped brackets. End skirts are straight with one containing a full-width drawer. The four slender tapering legs have satinwood inlay at the upper end.
Bowfront mahogany veneer chest of drawers in the Hepplewhite style. Four drawers have progressing depths from the top to the bottom, each with overpressed drawer pulls two per drawer. At the top center of each drawer is a brass escutcheon keyhole. The top of the chest and each drawer are decorated with satin wood inlay. Chest is supported at its base by four french feet which feature a slightly outswept bracket foot combined with a valence skirt.
Provenance
Dr. Alexander Speer (James Buchanan maternal cousin)
Sheraton/Empire Tabernacle style mirror. Gilt mirror with a flat molded cornice with projecting breaks at the corners and fourteen pendent sphere. Double pilasters have decorative captials, beaded reeds and a rope motif terminating with urn-shaped bases. Frieze has foliate carvings.
Bottom mirror's silvering is delaminating from exposure to moisture; some chipping on the gilt frame.
Object ID
W.1935.042.001
Notes
Mr. Robert K. Cassatt's (donor) aunt was Miss Annie Buchanan. Annie was Robert's mother's sister and niece to James Buchanan. This mirror formerly hung at Wheatland.
Shaving stand is comprised of a mahogany veneer; the mirror attached to the top has a veneered bull-nose frame supported by ring and vase-turned stiles set into the top with tenons at a backward cant. The skirt has two half-drawers; however, the brass knob drawer-pulls are missing. The stand is supported by four ring and ball turned feet
Rectangular tray. White porcelain with gold trim, raised pink tray with support openings for a white ink well and a white pounce sander. Scalloped edges form handles on both ends of the raised tray and continues along the oblong tray that held pens. Scalloped edges feature gilded edges on white background bordered by a wide cobalt blue band gilt floral decor. The center of the pen tray is white with a pink, blue and white flower motif.
Provenance
James Buchanan
To Rev. Edward Y. Buchanan (brother)
To Lois Buchanan Cassatt (daughter/JB niece)
To Edward Buchanan Cassatt (son/JB great nephew)
To Lois Buchanan Cassatt Thayer (daughter/JB great, great niece)
Lignum vitas wood caster with round, bowl-like top, pierced for shaking out pounce. Base is ring-turned tapers smaller to broad top, flat bottom. Small, shallow dotted pattern in two bands near bottom. Lip at top has thin groove. Top screws onto base that would be filled with pounce, which is a fine powder made from powdered cuttlefish bone. Pounce was used both to dry ink and to sprinkle on a rough writing surface to make it smooth enough for writing.
Esther 'Hetty' Parker, James Buchanan's housekeeper, chose this among several other household items that Buchanan noted she was to be allowed to choose after his death. Miss Hetty gave this to the daughter of her neighbor. Miss Steckman donated this to the Wheatland collection in 1938.
Small, cotton, pink child's dress. Drop-waist. From approximately the turn of the century. Trimmed with machine made lace. Square neckline. Buttons down back made of mother of pearl. Button holes hand made. Large tuck from cap of shoulder down front.
9in set in sleeves with lace trim 2.25in from cuffs. Same lace trim sewn on waist seam, around neck opening and on pleated skirt 6 in above hem. Machine made but for white cotton tape had stitched insde at skirt hem, seam where bodice and waist are joined. Pink cotton fabric tape hand stitched inside neck edge,. 8 back closure button holes are hand sttitched, 8 2 holed .25in shell buttons sewn on back. Front hem tear repaired.
Oval, cut photo glued on paper with two bands - concentric, one thicker than the other, around photo. Photo shows four children - three girls sitting in a row, one boy standing to their left, 3/4 front, facing girls. Each girl is holding a different doll.
Photo of Schlauch siblings taken by their father. Written on wood backing the photo: "Ed Schlauch (with drum)/ Alice O. Schlauch (Zell)/ "Lill" Schlauch (Hoover)/ Ida Schlauch (Haag-Steel)/ Taken by their father." Unknown in which direction the girls are named. One can assume the names in parentheses are later married names of the females.
White mat around photo is tan with age, lines of dust in corners and around edges of frame that is open in back. One piece of wood partially covers the back with exposed space on both lengthwise edges.
Wood frame with dark glossy finish and gold painted edge next to glass. Wood exposed on all corners, many scratches throughout.
Assumed to be traveling dress from latter part of 19th century.
84.41.1 is long-sleeved contoured woman's top of durable ribbed fabric. 2 bust-darts on both sides with stays from the waist up in all 4 darts. Collar and buttonhole panel, center front, of dark brown fabric. 13 hand-finished 1-inch buttonholes on right front. 11 buttons on right front. Buttons are covered in dark brown with 4-pointed brown stars in center. Set-in sleeves with 2 seams and tiny gusset at armhole. Cuff of same fabric is attached and folded up. Edge trimmed in a dark brown ribbed tape and 3 matching buttons on upperside of wrist and cuff. Front opening at waist opens like an upside-down "V." Center back seam runs from neck to hem. 2 seams run shoulder to hem; 2 additional seams run from armholes to hem.
Inside: Double construction with light tan fabric. One stay (4.5 inches long) is stitched to the center back seam from waist up. 4-inch wide pieces with 4 eyes on left and 4 eyes on right front, both contain vertical stays. Seam edges are overcast. On lower right front below buttonholes is an additional button hole on the inside only.
84.41.2- Long skirt of brown durable ribbed fabric. 1 1/2-inch wide waistband of same brown polished cotton as lining. At center front a 3-inch length of brown tape is sewn on the inside of the waistband creating a loop. A 9.5-inch placket in back is closed with a single black metal button and buttonhole. Center front is flat with 2 pleats. Top skirt measures 29 inches long. In back, top skirt is full, gathered and hiked up and tacked in center area. Underskirt upper portion is lining fabric. In the back (16.5 inches above hem) a casing holds brown fabric tape that has been pulled to gather fabric. The lower edge has a plain flat inner hem trimmed in a light brown tape. The portion of the underskirt that shows is 12 inches long with a 3-inch flat upper section; a 2.5-inch wide gathered section. The lowest 6.5-inch section is edged in dark brown trim with 1-inch box pleats about every 2 inches around the bottom edge. A 1/2-inch wide dark brown tape is sewn 1-inch above the hem edge around the entire skirt.
Inside, about 12 inches below the waistband is back, a band of brown fabric, 17 inches long is tacked to the lining in 3 places. On the right seam of the lining is a 'pocket' (17 inches long and 6 inches wide). Opening is a narrow 3 inches.
From schoolboy to politician -- The road to the Senate -- Approaching storm -- Moving toward war -- Time line -- Glossary -- The United States government -- Choosing the president -- The White House -- Presidential perks -- Facts.
Immigrant's son -- Love and politics -- To Washington : congressman Buchanan -- Senator Buchanan -- Diplomacy -- The most suitable man for the times -- President Buchanan -- March toward war -- Back to wheatland.
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries,
https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Collection (MG0096) https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/en/permalink/lhdo3760
James Buchanan Family Papers
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph Collection
Curatorial Collection
Wheatland Collection
Wheatland Mansion
Notes
Preferred Citation: James Buchanan Collection, MG0096_F086, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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